The Big Picture

Alien: Romulus
‘ chestburster scene was inspired by nature documentaries.
Director Fede Álvarez described the physical process of the chestburster scene, revealing it took nine puppeteers to bring to life.

Alien: Romulus
is set between the first two films in the franchise, starring Cailee Spaeny and featuring a standalone storyline separate from Ripley’s plotline.

Nobody will be able to hear audiences scream when 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus premieres in theaters this August. One of the hallmarks of any Alien film is an iconic chestburster scene, and Alien: Romulus is no different. Ahead of the film’s release, director Fede Álvarez has revealed that Alien: Romulus’ chestburster scene was inspired by a unique (and perhaps unlikely) medium: nature documentaries.

In a recent interview with Total Film promoting the project, Álvarez described the film’s chestburster, the stage in which a juvenile Xenomorph alien rips out of a host’s chest and eventually matures into a full-grown adult. He noted that the cast and crew on set would narrate the behaviors of the movie’s Xenomorph much in the way of a David Attenborough documentary like Blue Planet or Blue Earth. Álvarez additionally spoke about the physical process of the chestburster scene, which took nine puppeteers to pull off:

“While we were seeing it on set we were joking, ‘The creature is coming out slow. It’s looking for the scent of the mother…’ The creature’s not trying to be scary. The creature is trying to get the fuck out of that cocoon, that happens to be a person. It’s almost like this is more realistic in a way, but without betraying all the beautiful things of the original designs.”

‘Alien: Romulus’ Is Set Between the First Two Films

While plot details remain slim, it is known that Alien: Romulus is set between the first two films in the franchise, Alien and Aliens. The film is set on an abandoned, derelict space station that is found by a group of space colonists, but they soon discover that they are not alone. The film stars Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine, the apparent leader of the colonists who must go toe-to-toe with the Xenomorph. While the film takes place between Alien and Aliens, it has been confirmed that it will be a standalone story not connected to the plotline of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley.

Beyond Spaeny, Alien: Romulus stars Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, Aileen Wu, and David Jonsson. Álvarez directed Alien: Romulus from a script he wrote with Rodo Sayagues, and Álvarez also serves as an executive producer on the film. Ridley Scott, the director of the original Alien film, produced Alien: Romulus through his Scott Free Productions banner alongside Michael Pruss, while Walter Hill produced for Brandywine Productions.

Alien: Romulus will be released in theaters on Aug. 16, 2024. The original Alien and Aliens are both available to stream now on Hulu.

Alien: Romulus In Alien: Romulus, a crew of space explorers lands on a distant, uncharted planet, only to uncover a horrifying secret lurking beneath the surface.Release Date August 16, 2024 Director Fede Alvarez